My Manager
Giving Something Back

Purpose Boosts Engagement

Giving back to the community strengthens culture, morale, and every other engagement factor. Social impact matters.
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Property

Sewell Group

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Seeking to provide impactful development opportunities for all, Sewell offers a range of programmes including its talent pipeline, Mentor Ship Programme, and ‘Talent takeaway’ – from which employees can choose from a menu of courses. This year the organisation placed a focus on its leadership discovery programme, inspiring and developing future leaders of the business.
For any employees struggling with their mental health there’s an increased number of mental first aiders on hand to provide support and guidance. There’s also useful resources and helpful assets on offer for all employees, including suicide awareness training, ‘Grocery Aid’, and ‘Stress Busters’.
The group donated timber and stones to community gardens and allotments, as well as offering upcycling workshops and encouraging ecology projects such as building bird boxes and bug hotels. Staff are encouraged to participate in litter picks and recruit Green Champions across the business who act as environmental ambassadors for the group.
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Not For Profit Body's

Hull University Students' Union

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Wellbeing is a priority for the union, which has joined up with the Mindful Employer Charter to give staff access to a 24-hour hotline, seven days a week. Staff are encouraged to take regular breaks throughout the day and support is given to managers to help them deal with those employees struggling with their wellbeing.
The organisation supports its employees’ development in a number of different ways. This includes regular opportunities for staff to attend paid-for training programmes that complement their roles. The union’s team of presidents also attends a residential programme, where external facilitators come in to deliver training and development.
As a registered charity, Hull University Students' Union’s primary purpose is giving something back to the community. Students are encouraged to organise and participate in fundraising events through the Raise and Give society, benefiting numerous charities. Employees are also given corporate social responsibility days to volunteer and develop within the community.
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Insurance

Covéa Insurance

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This year Covéa launched ‘VIBE’, a new approach to performance management using coaching to help employees develop a leadership style to support their people in setting goals. The company also runs monthly development sessions for employees and offers Accelerate Mentoring Learning pathways to those interested in becoming a mentor or mentee.
Covéa offers a suite of wellbeing tools and services for employees, including 24-hour access to one-on-one support through its Employee Assistance Programme and internal mental health first aiders. The company has a vitality scheme that offers colleagues access to benefits such as free lunchtime workouts and opportunities to earn rewards for looking after their wellbeing.
Having launched its ‘100k Charity Drop’ this year, the organisation gave employees the opportunity to nominate charities close to their hearts to receive a share of £100k. Thanks to them, over 100 charities have benefitted from donations. Employees are also entitled to one match-funding donation and one sponsorship request each year.
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Not For Profit Body's

Seafish

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Seafish's results-only working environment is a key attraction for staff. Having worked this way since before the pandemic, the company is committed to creating an environment where its people are trusted to take responsibility for their own success in a way that works for them.
"New squids on the block" is the name give to those joining the company. Staff comment on how friendly and welcoming the organisation is. It believes its people are its best asset and it showcases that belief throughout the recruitment and onboarding journey.
Keeping a sea theme, the company organises beach cleans and hosts fish and chip lunches, for which Seafish matches the cost of the lunch and donates it to the Fishermen's Mission.
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Financial Services

Leeds Building Society

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Developing-Insight sessions give staff the opportunity to find out about a project, initiative, topic, or area of the business they know little about. Recently, the Race Equality Forum hosted a session during Black History Month and the Gender Forum ran a session entitled Menopause in the Workplace.
Personal development-plan discussions identify managers' needs. They can select from modular development courses and have access to a people-manager mental wellbeing course and a society-wide Mindfulness programme. They can also be mentored through initiatives such as Mission Include, which focuses on supporting under-represented groups.
The society partnered with Dementia UK in April 2020 and has raised more than £300,000 for the charity. A savings bond that donates a percentage to Dementia UK and a staff fantasy football league contributed to the sum.
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Retail

Joules Group

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Every six months, staff receive a “thank-you” payment to reward them for their efforts throughout the year. It comes either in monetary form in their pay or as a voucher for a wide range of retailers that they can use on the company’s rewards platform.
The company is introducing a new induction and development programme and apprenticeship courses that all employees are eligible for. Training programmes are available that not only enable staff to progress within their career, but also to develop within their own roles. Managers have access to courses on the Fuse learning portal.
Joules has been investigating ways in which it can source materials sustainably and be transparent with its supply chain. An enhanced ethical-trading policy means it has graduated to full Ethical Trading Initiative membership.
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Retail

Sofology

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Senior leaders often engage with others on the workplace platform by adding comments on posts from others, commending them and encouraging staff. Feedback is welcomed and leaders openly promote the Sofologist Say forum, which enables people to submit ideas, suggestions or ask questions for response from leaders and stakeholders.
Charities supported by Sofology include Papyrus, which works to prevent young suicide, Cancer Awareness for Teens and Twenties and Grace House, which provides a home for children with disabilities. In partnership with the Woodland Trust, the company also planted a tree for every order it received last year and more than 115,000 were planted.
The company runs immersive campaigns across the workplace platform, providing information and signposting on a range of themes. It encourages staff across all business areas to interact and share stories with each other. A great example of this was Sofology's Pride campaign.
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Housing Associations

Monmouthshire Housing Association

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To recognise their efforts during the pandemic, staff were given an extra day of annual leave. The association also introduced a week-long Christmas shutdown. Both measures have become permanent.
Online team activities ensure staff maintain team camaraderie and build some fun into the working day. Peer support is offered to those who look after tenants in difficult circumstances. With staff working at home, being able to download about stressful situations and have the support of colleagues is even more important.
Staff use volunteering days to support local charities. One project involved clearing a garden in a children's therapeutic centre in Abergavenny. They also give demonstrations, such as making Christmas decorations, or talks on local history, for example, to groups of older people in the association's sheltered housing schemes.
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Beloved Homecare

Training takes on a real-world feel, with the top floor of the Beloved office filled with equipment frequently found within a client's house. This provides an immersive experience to help staff understand the challenges they are likely to face when working independently. The setup allows staff to develop their confidence, situational awareness, and decision-making.

A company car scheme allowance is offered to staff that have been with the company for 12 months. Enabling employees to purchase a new vehicle they may not have been able to other wise afford, the deal also provides a reliable means of transport meaning disruption to work is less likely.  

Managing Director, Mark, along with supporting staff, have been getting stuck into a garden project at their local hospital. The project, started by one of their clients who had previously received treatment there, aims to improve the communal gardens through the planting of trees and flowers in the grounds.

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iQ Student Accommodation

A ‘Think Green’ campaign put a focus on the environment thanks to its aim of improving the energy efficiency of buildings through engagement programmes for both employees and student residents. The campaign included both e-learning and building technical programmes, as well as encouraging better recycling and simple tips for energy conservation.

Leaders consistently refer to iQ’s values through communication, live events, or business updates and play a key part in recognising when the values are being demonstrated. Recently, the Senior Management Team sponsored and supported the development and rollout of a behavioural framework aligned to the values, which is now being adopted across the business.

As well as an extensive catalogue of learning provided via our LMS, every team member has access to an unlimited number of funded Level 1, 2 and 3 qualifications in a range of subjects such as Mental Health, Customer Service and Fitness and Health. There are also talent programmes, apprenticeship schemes and a high-performance coaching programme.

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